Four dancers. Four dance forms. One theme. That sums up Udalveli’s forthcoming production Kaathirutal.
The idea for this came from the Kurunthogai, the second of the Etuthogai anthology dating back to the Sangam age. “Specifically the 143rd song,” says Dharanidharan of Udalveli. “The verse itself is about the hero waiting for the heroine. The concept of longing or yearning is a common theme in Sangam literature. But there was more to this song than on the surface. I’ve been waiting to work with this theme.”
His first thought was, of course, to stage a play. After all, Udalveli is all about theatre. But he had to put it on the backburner as he got busy with other plays and shows. “Finally in May, I decided to start programming and decided to work with dancers.”
Ask how he zeroed in on the dancers and Dharanidharan laughs. “If I had stuck to my first plan, I would have needed two to three days to get through the programme. All the dancers I contacted were also very keen on the idea but slowly we had to filer the numbers and we were left with these four: Madhushree Basu (Kathak), Akshara Bharadwaj (Bharatnatyam), Shanthini Roja (Rajasthani), Akila (Contemporary). I am also using this opportunity to present a Coimbatore-based group called Raga.”
Akshara Bharadwaj, Bharatanatyam dancer, feels we are always in a state of longing
Asked what it was about the theme that attracted her, Bharadwaj said, “Kaathirutal or Longing is a universal phenomenon. We are all almost always in this state; we long for validation, material things, companionship, attention … everyday.”
Madhushree Basu’s Kathak piece is based on a kalaam from Omar Khayyam
Basu, on the other hand, points out that longing “is an over-utilised theme in Indian classical dance, often in problematic ways. However this can open up opportunities to rethink or subvert it.”
Shanthini Roja will portray a girl longing for her soul mate in the Rajasthani style
For Shanthini Roja, “Kaathirutal doesn’t mean only waiting for love. It can be much more. I wanted to dance about water waiting for freedom from pollution, but I couldn’t find the right words.”
Contemporary dancer Akila will portray the longing for rain
Akila sees longing as being beyond relationships. Her piece will be about the longing for rain, a contemporary issue expressed in a contemporary form.
Dharanidharan explains that he only gave the dancers the theme. “The choice of the actual piece was left to them.” He did try to give them a time limit (seven minutes) initially but explains rather sheepishly that the dancers were very indignant. “Everyone said that the theme is very deep and needs to be explored properly. Finally I gave up and left it to them to decide the length of their pieces.”
He also admits that he is looking forward to the audience’s reaction. “We will know only on that day,” he says. “We are also waiting just like the theme. It is an experiment for me as well as for the dancers involved.” This leads him to talk about the need to generate an “audience culture”. In older times, he says, the audience was very involved in the performance because theatre itself was part of a ritual.
He talks about watching a performance of Duryodhanavadham in koothu style. “There would be a sand sculpture of Duryodhana. Once Bhima broke the thigh, the villagers would swarm over the sculpture and take some sand as keepsake or apply it like sacred ash. To us, it may be a performance. In their minds, it is a ritual.”
Dharanidharan points out that, in the recent past, we have seen a huge shift in audience perspectives. “They have everything at the click of a mouse,” he says. “Even films are being challenged by the digital entertainment world. At this point what we are asking people to step out of their homes and reconnect with the performing arts.”
He accepts that theatre has been disconnected from its audience for a while but is hopeful that, with devised plays and other experimental forms, the gap can be bridged. “We want people to come forward to help. It is everybody’s responsibility — whether a businessman, a homemaker or a student — to foster theatre, after all it is part of our shared culture,” he says passionately.
The other problem, he cites, is marketing. “Our plays go to international festivals and across the country but, here, not even 100 people will come to see it. We need a movement in which artistes and common people band together. If we do that, we can move mountains.”
As part of his efforts to create the audience culture, he is curating a series of events under the Udalveli banner. “I am wondering whether to do a hat collection,” he says. “Let the audience decide what to give. And then getting feedback from them. That’s another must….” His voice trails off as he begins to think about what more he can do to, as he calls it, “revive a slice of our past.”
Kaathirutal: A Dance Confluence
Performed by Madhushree Basu (Kathak), Akshara Bharadwaj (Bharatnatyam), Shanthini Roja (Rajasthani), Akila (Contemporary)
On July 8 from 6.30 pm at Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery, Avanashi Road, Civil Aerodrome PO, Peelamedu
Tickets of ₹500 and ₹300 available at Ci Gusta, Tristar Apartments, Avanashi Road; Kasthuri Sreenivasan Art Gallery, Avanashi Road, Civil Aerodrome PO, Peelamedu; and online at www.bookmyshow.com
Coming up in Coimbatore
Sadhir: Mother of Bharatanatyam: Muthukannu, a 75-year-old practitioner of the ancient dance form from Viraalimalai (Tiruchi), will conduct a two-day workshop for dancers and perform for the public
Yen Paer Kancharamaram: A modern Tamil play by Konangi, performed by members of the Stanislavsky Acting School, Chennai
Mirugavidhushagam: A modern Tamil play, written and directed by Dr. S Murugaboopathy. This play was performed at the recent National Theatre Festival Thiruvananthapuram
Padagu: A multi-lingual devised play presented by D Lights Off, a Bangalore-based company
